(photo taken from the Phillis Wheatley Community Center)

The Name

Phillis Wheatley was taken from her home in Africa at a very young age and put on a slave ship and taken to Boston where she was sold as a slave. The ship she was put on was called Phillis; which is most likely where she got her first name.

This is a general depiction of a slave ship. Could you honestly imagine being named after this; the thing that carried you and anyone who looked like you away to hell? What would it be like to identify as this? And what is the painstaking process like of finding an identity not based off of that name while everyone “above you” is forcing that identity onto you.

The Slave

Phillis Wheatley was not in good health when she arrived at the Wheatley home (who would be?) and was kept as a house slave. The Wheatley’s daughter became very fond of Phillis and she was soon kept primarily as a companion for the Wheatley daughter. Under this circumstance Phillis had the unusual chance of becoming educated. And boy did she ever! Phillis learned the English language within 16 months of coming to America. She had never been exposed to the English language before making this quite the accomplishment. She continued to learn Latin and Greek and became a published poet at the age of 12.

The Writer

Luckily, when the Wheatleys found Phillis writing on a wall with chalk they encouraged her to learn. From that pressure, we gained a number of adored poems. Phillis Wheatley  was the first published African American female writer.  She wrote one book of poems: Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. After an inspiring trip to London under the Wheatley family, Phillis returned home to be given her freedom. 

The Free Woman 

Phillis never had it easy. She lived a long difficult life, which does make her story even more enticing. After several of the Wheatley family members passed, Phillis married John Peters. Peters was a free black man who had a business venture that failed. Phillis began to work once more as a servant to make ends meet. She would publish a few more poems and write sporadically. Phillis died very poor, but as a free woman. Her final manuscripts were never found.

Whooo, that was heavy! All bummer things aside; Phillis was a bad …! It doesn’t get much more resilient than Phillis Wheatley. A resounding “get it girl” is definitely in order. And just to propel any new found love for this amazing woman you may have found; check this cool stuff out:

If you love snail mail as much as I do, check out these Phillis Whealtey post cards from Zazzle:

Or if you like adorable and historical things you can buy this adorable doll here.

Dang, that is cute!

“But I like it

Because it is bitter,

And Because it is my heart.” 

– Stephen Crane

Stephen Crane’s was a Jersey boy and one of eight children to his Methodists parents who were both writers. He started writing at the age of four and was published by the age of 16.  He published The Red Badge of Courage in 1895 without any war experience. He is considered America’s earliest Naturalists and wrote in the Realist tradition. Blah blah blah… Lets get to the good stuff shall we?

Stephen Crane? More Like Stephen Cray. This guy was the cross dressing best friend of Joseph Conrad who stuck up for prostitutes, had a serious relationship with a madam, and contracted tuberculosis in a life raft while stranded at sea only before dying at the age of 28 in a spa. Shall I divulge? …

Crane’s first novel Maggie, written at the age of 22 (age 22!…what did you do today?), was too real for publishers. It is about a really poor girl who becomes a prostitute and kills her self. Its incredibly dark and heavy themes were a slap in the face for people, who were used to cushy Romanticism,  and was greatly scrutinized. Crane is notorious for writing in this fashion. He writes a short sketch called “Experiment in Misery” that is incredibly honest and real. How real was it? Well, Crane dresses up as a tramp and stays in a flop house to do research (d.e.d.i.c.a.t.i.o.n.). See- cross dressing (not that there is anything wrong with that).

Crane hung out with Joseph Conrad and even hosted Conrad, Henry James and H.G. Wells for Christmas in 1899. He had some sort of serious romatic relationship with the madam of the Hotel de Dream; Jacksonville Florida’s “most elegant sporting house” (that’s a brothel y’all). His relationship with Cara (Lady Stewart) Crane is a little hazy. She took his last name but they were never legally married. Crane also was a part of another scandal when he acted “as a witness for a suspected prostitute”. So, in good company this guy had a thing for ladies employed in the worlds oldest profession. Sounds like a fun guy.

Stephen and Cora Crane

Crane met Cora while in Florida waiting to board a ship headed to Cuba where he was sent on a journalist assignment in 1896. The boat he was traveling on was shipwrecked and Crane was stranded off the coast of Florida on a life raft until rescued. Crane’s The Open Boat was based on this experience. It is speculated that Crane barely survived this ordeal and his untimely contraction of tuberculosis is the consequence of his time on the shipwrecked dinghy. Stephen Crane died at the age of 28 from tuberculosis in Germany at a spa he took refuge at in order to nurse himself.

  Fun random fact #1: he liked to write stuff in all caps.

Fun random fact #2: he was on the album cover of The Beatles album Sgt. Pepper’s.

Fun random parting thought: MUSTACHE CHAMPION!